trowbridge



PATENTED FEB. l, 1870.

J. H. TRCWBRIDCE. MACHINE FCR` PACKING TOBACCO.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

i fjwanr, 9.1M

No, 99,372.` A PATENTED PEB. 1, 1870.

J. H. TROWBRIDGB.

MACHINE POR PACKING TOBACCO.

thtird gister A @anni dtyiiliw.

` Letters Patent No..99,372, dated February 1, 1870.

MACHINE FOR PACKING- TOBACCO.

The Schedule referred to n` these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

I, JOHN H. TROWBRIDGE, of the city and countyl of -New Haven, and Stateof Connecticut, have in- .vented certain Improvements in Machines forAutomatically Packing 'Fine-Cut Tobacco into metal foil or paperwrappers, of which the following is a specicatlon.'

Natur-e and Objects of the Inception.

The object of my invention is to provide a method of packing fine-cnt`tobacco, either smoking or chewing, into metal foil or paper wrapperswithout the aid of manual labor.

The tobacco being fed, the quantity to be packed -separated andmeasured, and the entire operation of packing performed and completed byautomatic machinery. The metal foil or paper for the wrappers is\ asosupplied4 to the folding-device in a simi-lar manner.

Theentire-mach'ine is constructed and arranged iu a compact and simpleform, and the packages produced are regular and exact in.shape, as wellas even iny quantity and weight;

In the d-rawings, which form a part of this specification- Figure lis aplan or top -view of a machine ein# bodying my invention. l

Figure 2, a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3, a side elevation of the carrying-trough and device forseparating and measuring the tobacco.

Figure 4, a side elevation of the folding-device, showing the operationof the knives.'

'Figure 5, a side elevation of the device for supplying and feeding thewrappers to the folding-device.

Figure 6, -a sectional view of the self-feeding hopper, taken on theline a; x infig. 2.

Figure 7 "s a modication of the device shown in iig. 5. g

A is the frame or bed'of the machine. ,B is the main shaft, from whichmotion is communicated to the various operating parts. The pulley fordrivingthe same may be located at eitherend of the shaft, as may be mostconvenient.

C the hopper, into which the tobacco t o be packed is deposited.

This hopper contains a feeding-device fol-'conveying the tobacco inregular and even quantities into the carrying-trough E.

This feeding-device consists of a revolving drum, a, carrying a seriesofcomhs or fingers, b. These combs or "fingers .have a reciprocatingmotion imparted' to them at certain periods during each revolution ofthe drum a, by means of the eccentric cams al and a3 in the sides ofthehopper-frame.

These combs ortingers are, by the action of the cams al a2, forced outof the drum as it revolves. through the hopper, entering the tobacco andcarrying it, as the drum-revolves, through the lower end of the hopperinto the carrying-trough E. The combs or. ngers'are at this pointretracted into the drum, leavingthe tobacco free to be carried forwardin and by the. carrying-trough E.

Motion is imparted'to the drum a from' the cam D1 on the main shaft,which. actuates, the. rack (l2 andcog dathrough thelever d, causing thedrum to revolve such distance as may be necessary to supply thecarryingtrough with the quantity of tobacco desired. During the reversemotion of the rack di `and oog cl3, the drum is held at rest by means ofa pawl and ratchet.

The carrying-trough E is composed of the ange- A box orguide El, and thethree endless belts or bands Ac1, e2, and e3'. These endless beltsoperate-on the inte" rior of the box i, (it being open at the top,)passing around the pulleys c4 'e4 ee and e5 e5.

on the Amain shaft,'the cam actuating thelever d, and", by means of therack. als and cogr d6, causes the endless belts forming' thecarrying-trough to move forward at thesame time, and at each revolutionof the main shaft, the length of a package of tobacco, or such distanceasA may be desired.

` This carrying-trough andthe feeding-hopper operate in unison with eachother; that is, the drum a in the hop'- per feeds the tobacco only asthe carrying-trough is in operation to receive and carry it forward.

During the reverse motion of the rack and cog d, the belts are held atrest by a pawl and ratchet.

The carrying-trough E also acts as a means of measuring the tobacco, thecarrying-space within the belts being only large enough to receive thequantity requiredin a package. The tobacco is compressed as it isreceived from the hopper, (passing under the rolle'rE2,) which pressesdown upon it as itpasses under it from the hopper into the trough to theconsistency desired in a` package.

During the process of folding the wrapper, and while the charge oftobacco is being carried forward by the comb F1' and plunger' G, thecarrying-trough and feeding-hopper are at rest.

The combs o'r separators Fand F are the means- 'Comb or separator E hassimplya rising'an'd falling motion, which is imparted to it by cam D2,through the lever di. lts oilice is to assstcomb E" in separating .thequantity of tobacco-required to make the package from that movedforward' inrand by the carryingtrough.

Comb FIhas also a-falliligmotion in thefsame time.

asv comb F, imparted toit by ca'm Di, through the lever da' and itsconnections. .Afle'r dropping into poagain repeats its forwardmovement-,carrying with it A connecting-lever, made to dropinto thecarrying- `trough E, and to ,take a position behind the quantity .aforward motion,`carrying and forcing the tobacco y completes the bottomand side folds of the wrapper.

sition with comb F, it is, bythe action of the same cam and lever,caused to move forward in the trough E--tlie trough then being atrest-carrying with it the tobacco toa point under and beyond the plungerG. Itis then liftediand returns to its first position, and

any of the tobaccothat may have been lett during its first forwardmovement. This completed, it is returned to its original position.

lIn lieu of the combs just described, knives of similar-sliape may besubstituted to separate the tobacco, but I prefer the combs for thatpurpose, it being desirable to detach and separate the tobacco withoutcutting its fibres.

The plunger G is, by the action of the cam D4 and of tobacco carriedforward by cam F1. It is then given into a receiving-case, H, which isin position on the same horizontal plane with the carrying-trough toreceive it.

This receiving and forming-case H is made the same size (exceptinglength) as the package to be made. It must be constructed of very thin,yet strong sheetbrass or other suitable metal. This receiving-case isopjen at both ends, and isl held iu position to receive the charge oftobacco by means of the connecting-rods h and h1, fastened to thecarrier-holder h2. 4

The receiving-case is also partially open its entir length on the top,(seen plainly in fig. 4.) This is for the purpose of allowing the armcarrying the plunger G (also plunger L) to enter and carry the tobaccoto the extreme end of the case; the case.being constructedsomewhat'longer than the-package to be made.

When in position to` receive the tobacco from the carrying-trough, thereceiving and forming-ease H 'is held or rests inside the hollow bed I,(seen more plainly in iig? 5,) which is made open at both ends, and ofdepth enough so that .its top at the' sides, when the case H is inposition, (as in fig. 4,) is on the same plane as' the top of the caseH.

At the propertime, and before the charge of tobacco is forced into thecase H, a sheet of metal foil or paper, or both, if desired, is drawn bya device that will be hereinafter described, over the 'top of the bed Iand deposited in position for folding. -l

-The case H is then, by action of cam Ds and connecting-lever d, droppeddown into its position inside the hollow bed I, carrying with andbeneathit-the wrapper-sheet previously deposited over the bed. This vThefolding-knives b1 and b2 then in turn complete the top folds, bycarrying down on to the top 0f the case H the sides of the wrapper-sheetleft projecting by the action ofthe forming-case, when dropped intoposition in the bed I. The knife b then makes the upper or firstend-fold, the knives bi-and b5 then turn in the side-folds at the end,the knife bil-completing the foldingJ by turning up the last or lowerend-fold.

As soon as the folding-operations described are compiet-ed, the plungerG at once forces the charge of tobacco into the case H, and aftercompleting it's'oice, returns to its iirst position.Y During the forcingof the tabacco into'the case, the folding-knives remain in position asfolded over the case, holding it firmly in position in the bed I, untilthe plunger G is retracted; they a re then returned to their iirstposition prior to folding.

, These folding-knives are operated, in the proper' time, by the actionofthe cams D7, s, 9, and 1 on the riiain sliaft actuating the levers andconnecting-'levers to which -the knives are fastened. I

The wrapper of foil or paper being now folded around thereceivingaudtbrming-case H, containing the charge of tobacco to bepacked, and furnished it from the carrying-trough E by the meansdescribed, the left-hand folding-operation.

end ofthe package being folded and completed, thereceiving-case H, withits contents and wrapper, is lifted by the action of cam D6 on the leverdf, which lever raises thev slide g, to which the carrier-holder' h2 visfirmly attached, (the receiving-case being hung to the carrier-holder bythe connecting-rods'h and 711,) tothe top of the guide-frames K and K1,and is carried forward to the groove k2, at the left-hand end of theguide-frames, and is dropped down into position, (the slide g followingthe groove kt) on the same plane as in its first position. The plunger Lis then, by action of cam D, through the lever l and slide m, caused toenter the right-hand and open end of the case H. It is then given aforward motion, and forces the tobacco out of the case H, carrying withit the wrapper, folded on the outside of the case.

As the#partially-completed package leaves the case H, it enters the boxM, provided to receive it. This box is made large enough to receive thevpackage witbout offering resistance to its entrance. The package is thusforced intothe box M until its unfolded end is in the desired position,prior to being closed bythe folding-knives at N.

The operation -of these knives is the same as that of knives b, b4, b5,and bs, as described, for closing the left-hand end of the package. p

The box M holds the package firmly during this last The folding beingcompleted, the knives .retract to their first position, leaving the completed package to be forced out of the box by the entrance of thesucceeding package.

As soon as the partially-made package is delivered..v from the case Hinto the box M, the case is carriedv back to' its first position in thebed I, by the same cam, levers, and guides as described in its forwardmovements. A sheet of. paper or foil having been deposited on the bed I,prior to the return of the case, the upper sheet is then folded, and thetobacco,

againintroduced, as previously described.

As the packages completed in the box Mareforced from it by the entranceof the succeeding packages,

they may be dropped into any proper receptacle provided.

` The sheets of paper or metal foil provided for the wrappers ofthepackages, are deposited, inv any desired number, upon the rising andfalling carrying-bed O, which is held in position by the standards andguides n nl n2 n. .This carrying-bed is raised and lowered, at theproper time, by the action of the cam I on the lever P', which causesthe bed to rise, pressing (at the close of its upward movement) theuppermost sheet of paper or foil firmly against the lips or fianges o oo o, whichproject from the top of the standards over the carrying-bed.The lower surfaces of these lips or flanges are provided with a properadhesive substance, which may be supplied in any suitable manner. Theseadhesive surfaces, as the wrappers are forced up against them, retainthe uppermost sheet, the carrying-ned immediately dropping down to itsfirst position.

A spiral spring, S, is providedmn the under side of the carrying-hed,between the bed and lever, for the `The paper or foil wrapper being nowheld by the lips o o o o, the jaws-R are made to advance, by the actionof cam P on the leversT and T. These jaws, prior to reaching thewrapper, are made to open, by the ac tion of the stud/r on the arm t.The jaws being open, the forward motion is continued, until the edgeofthe wrapper is between them. They are then closed by a spring, onbeing released from the stud r', and grasp the wrapper firmly. They arethen made to retract, carrying the wrapper to the desired position overthe bed I, where it is released from the jaws by a similar method tothat described for grasping it.

The wrappersheet being now deposited in position, the folding-operationsare performed, as ,hereinbefore described.

A modication of lthe wrapper-feeding device is shown in iig. 7 but Iprefer the operation previously described.

In case t-be endless belts forming the carrying-trough should becomeloose, by the stretching of the leather, or from other causes, they canbe readily tightened by means of the set-screw V, tig. 2, and aftertightening, are held in place by the nuts \V, which slide in va groovein the movable bed, to which the shafts on which the pulleys at theright-hand cud of the carrying-trough are pii'oted. These nuts serve tol'asten/ the movable bed firmly to the bed ot' the machine.

The levers actuated by tbe variouscams on the main shaft are all held tothe face of the cams by a series ot' spiral springs, fastened tosuitable standards on the bed of themachine.

It is obvious that by the improved machine hereinbefore described, alarge quantity of packages `can be rapidly produced, no manual laborheilig required, other than the attention necessary to keep the hoppersupplied with tobacco, and the wrapper-feeding device with paper orfoil-sheets.Y

The principle on which this machine is constructed can, bymodifications, be adapted tothe packing of other materials andsubstances, ,such as are now packed in -small paper wrappers, and it ismy inten' tion to so apply my invention.

Claims.

I do not claim, as fny invent-ion, the packing of fine-A eut tobaccoint-ometal-foil or paper wrappers by machinery.; but A I do claimas'new, and as' my invention- 1. Automatica-ily packing finecut tobacco,or other material, into paper or metal-foill wrappers, or both, bylnaehinery,vwhen the various operations of feeding, measuring, andwrapping, necessary to complete the package, are performed in union witheach other, substantially as heieinbefbrc shown -and described.

2. AThe hopper (l and the drum a, with the feedingcombs or fingers b,having a reciprocating or eccentric motion imparted to them as the. drumrevolves, all arranged aud operating as luireinbeibre shown anddescribed.

3. The carryingtrough E, composed of the endless belts c, e?, and e, incombination with the hopper'O, the separating and measuring-combs l andI1", and the receiving and forming-case l-I, all arranged and opcr-Vating substantially as and foi-the purposes hereinbefore shown anddescribed.

4. The/separating and nieasnring-combs or fingers F and lf", arrangedand operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbeibre shownand described.

lhe plnngers (lr or L, in combination with the carrying-trough ll, thereceiving and thrilling-ease H, and the casel M, arranged and operatingsubstantially as and for the purposes hereinbelore shown and described'.

(i. The receiving and fbrining-ease H, constructed and operated asl andfor the purposes hereinbeiore shown and described.

7. The employment, in machines for making packages of'fine-ent tobaccoor other material, of the bed I, as constructed and arranged forreceiving the'rnetal foil or paper sheets for wrappers, and operating asan assistant folding-device, in combination with the case H, and thetblding-knives b, b2, b, b, b5, and be, substantially as hereinbefbreshown and described.

8. The folding-knives b, b2, b, bi, b5, and b, arranged and operatingsubstantially as and for the purposes 'hereinbet'ore shown anddescribed.

9. The box or holder M', arranged for the purposes hereinbefm'e shownand described.

JOHN H. TROWBRIDGE Witnesses A. L. MUNsoN, E. B. Munson.

